Euclid Beach memories – John Frato & Dudley Humphrey

Cleveland Stories Dinner Parties

Doors open at 5:00pm, with the storytelling beginning promptly at 7:00pm

Weekly series combining great food with great stories about Cleveland’s past

FREE ADMISSION – NO COVER CHARGE

Pre Fixe 3-course dinner option just $20

This week’s menu:

Popcorn Bisque

Roast Coaster

Lemon Sorbet

Story topic this week…

Euclid Beach Memories
The sights, sounds, smells and souvenirs of Euclid Beach Park still linger in the air 50 years after the rides were powered off and the concession stands closed. Euclid Beach Park presidents and enthusiasts, John Frato & Dudley Humphrey, keep its memory alive through refurbishing old attractions, hosting nostalgic events, and continuing to share the many stories of the park’s impact on Cleveland history.

John Frato Bio

John Frato is a native Clevelander who was raised and still lives in Lyndhurst, OH. He is the current President of Euclid Beach Park Now, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the memory of Euclid Beach Park. EBPN’s mission is to support the history of Euclid Beach Park through lectures, memorabilia, television and radio appearances, and other available media. The organization also supports the preservation of physical items and memorabilia from Euclid Beach Park that may be owned by other organizations, private individuals, or other entities.

Dudley Humphrey Bio

Dudley Humphrey’s family became the owners of Euclid Beach amusement park in 1901, vowing to make the park a respectable, family friendly place for recreation. They had previously run a popcorn stand at the park. Dudley was born and raised in Cleveland. He spent his first 16 years actually living at Euclid Beach Park. He graduated from Hawken School and Hamilton College (Clinton, NY). His wife, Betsy, and he ran the Humphrey-Euclid Beach popcorn business for 30 years until they sold it in 2011.

The goal of the Cleveland Stories Dinner Party is to bring to life some of the fun, interesting stories about Cleveland’s past – from sports, to rock ‘n roll, to Millionaire’s Row, — the series will focus on tidbits from Cleveland’s past that will really thrill the audience. The Music Box is presenting this series in partnership with the Western Reserve Historical Society’s new Cleveland History Center. We think the Cleveland History Center is one of the most important museums in Cleveland. An unknown gem that Clevelanders should know more about, and support. It is the only museum in Cleveland dedicated to preserving and documenting the history of Cleveland. The Cleveland History Center includes two mansions, the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum, Chisholm Halle Costume Wing, Research Library, Kidzibits Hands-On Gallery, rotating exhibitions, and the Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel.